Lever disk stopper.



E. GUTHRIE.

LEVER DISK STOPPER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1911,

1,011,054, I Patented Dec. 5,1911.

EDWIN GUTHRIE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

LEVER, DISK STOPPER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN GUTHRIE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Lever Disk Stoppers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to lever disk stoppers, and belongs to the classof paper disk stoppers used by dairymen to close milk bottles. 7

The object of this invention is the production of a disk stopper whichmay be displaced by pressure of the finger upon a certain portion of itsexposed surface, the greater part of the disk being constructed andarranged to act as a lever whereby one portion is raised out of themouth of the bottle, and within reach of the fingers, as more fullyexplained hereinbelow.

The preferred construction of this inven tion is set forth in theaccompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 represents a bottom plan viewof one form in which this invention may be made. Fig. 2 represents abottom plan view of a modification of this invent-ion. Fig. 3 is across-section on'line w-w of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on liney' z of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the mouth of a milk bottlewith this invention applied. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the mouthof a milk bottle with this invention applied.

The same reference letter designates the same part through thedescription and drawings.

The disk A, usually of pasteboard, has a portion or portions on one sidein some way weakened, in order that they may give away when pressedupon. For example, the diagonal cuts or channels B, 6, are formed,ordinarily, in the lower surface of the disk, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.Or, the same weakening effect may be brought about by removing a portionof the layers of the pasteboard, leaving a relatively thin layer, suchas that marked D in Fig. 4 near the edge, the removed portion and theremaining layer D having the form and extent of the filling E,consisting in practice of paraflin wax. The filling E renders the diskof the same thickness throughout, but, enables the edge portion to bebroken down under pressure. In Fig. 4, the disk is designated by theletter C. The preferred construction is to weaken the edge portion orSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1911.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911. Serial No. 649,978.

portions by the cuts or indentations mentioned.

In Fig. 5 the mouth of the bottle F is shown closed by a diskconstructed in accordance with this invention. The point a at which theopening pressure is to be applied, is ordinarily indicated in somemanner, for example, by the cross-mark and the word- Press asillustrated.

To explain the operation of this invention, let it be assumed thatpressure of finger or thumb is applied at the point a. The cuts B and Z)will yield, and the edge portions of the disk G and 9 will be turned up,as will also the portion J between the ends of the cuts B and 6 near theperiphery of the disk. The yielding of the parts allows the portion ofthe disk pressed upon to move downwardly with the pressure. as indicatedby the arrow in Fig. 6, and the two points or portions of the diskmarked H and h, and shown in Figs. 1 and 5, act as fulcrums and thegreater portion of the disk as a lever, with the result that the otherportion of the disk from that part pressed upon is raised out of themouth of the bottle within easy reach of the end of the finger, and isreadily removed. It will be noted that the weakened portion of the disklies upon one side of a line joining the pivotal points or fulcrums Hand h, and pressure upon the weakened side causes it to give away anddescend, the disk acting as a lever on the opposite points H and h.

It will be noted in Figs. 1 and 5, that while the cuts B and b converge,they do not quite meet, but that the portion J of the edge remainsbetween them. The reason for separating the ends of the cuts is that ithas been determined by a number of trials that if the cuts meet, theport-ion marked J would be correspondingly reduced, and, upon pres sure,it yields too quickly after a certain pressure is reached, and the diskjumps out of the mouth of the bottle. That condition of things is notdesirable for the reasons, first, that the disk falls to the floor andis soiled, and, second, if the disk jumps out too quickly underpressure, the end of the finger may descend into the milk or cream. Bytrial, it has been determined that about the arrangement of partsillustrated gives the best results. The weakened portion of the diskyields gradually downwardly while the opposite portion risescorrespondingly within reach of the finger, and the disk is easilyremoved and may be used over again. In practice, the disks are immersedin melted paraflin after the cuts are made, and the cuts are filled up,making the disk sufiiciently stiff to act effectively as a closure inthe common way.

Having now described this invention, and explained the mode of itsoperation, what I claim is 1. The combination with a bottle constructedto be closed by a disk stopper, of a disk stopper having oppositeportions arranged to act as pivotal points in the mouth of the bottle, aportion of the disk upon one side of a line joining said pivotal pointsbeing constructed weaker than the other portions whereby pressure uponthe weakened portion will cause that portion to descend'into the bottleand the stopper to operate as a lever upon said pivotal points.

2. The combination with a bottle constructed to be closed by a diskstopper, of a disk stopper having one portion provided with edgeportions demarcated by converging lines constructed weaker than theother portions whereby pressure applied at a predetermined point willcause the greater portion of the disk to act as a lever in the mouth ofa bottle, the said demarcated portions yielding to the pressure andallowing one portion of the disk to descend and the opposite portion torise.

3. The combination with a bottle having in its mouth an annularshoulder, of a disk stopper having portions near the edge constructedweaker than the other portions whereby pressure upon the weakenedportion will cause the greater portion of the disk to act as a leverupon the said annular shoulder and the said weakened portion of the diskto descend and the opposite portion to rise.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN GUTHRIE.

W'itnesses: GEORGE J. JOHNSTON JAMES J. KEANE.

Copies of this patent ma; be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

